


Fa-La-La-La Flaming

by queenitsy



Category: High School Musical
Genre: Holidays, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-08
Updated: 2010-12-08
Packaged: 2017-10-13 16:27:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/139316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenitsy/pseuds/queenitsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chad runs into Ryan Christmas caroling at the mall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fa-La-La-La Flaming

**Author's Note:**

  * For [applepiecrust](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=applepiecrust).



"Hey, isn't that your friend the ffffffflamer?"

Chad elbowed Chris, hard, before he actually looked up. Chris made a whiny noise and rubbed his side while Chad pushed up on his tiptoes to try and see through the shopping mall's crowded food court. His friend the ffffffflamer -- an adjective his older brother had doubtlessly substituted at last second for a different word that began with F -- could only really mean one person, and Chad's heart rate absolutely did _not_ speed up at the thought of spotting Ryan somewhere in the throng of people.

It took him a surprisingly long time to zero in on Ryan, though it wasn't his fault. For one thing, Ryan wasn't wearing anything that sparkled or was in a non-gender-conforming color (and here, Chris thought he hadn't learned anything in his sociology course). Second, Ryan didn't have on a hat. But then again, Chad should have known to just follow the music. He hadn't paid any attention to the boys' choir wearing plain black and white, singing in front of the enormous Christmas tree, but when a clear-as-a-bell tenor stepped out for a solo, there was no mistaking him.

"Yeah, that's _Ryan_ ," Chad said sharply. "I'm gonna go listen."

"Of course you are." Chris sounded a little disgusted and Chad clenched his jaw. "I've gotta go buy something for Steph, so..."

"Yeah, here's a hint, not lingerie this year."

"I didn't know she was going to open it in front of her grandfather!" Chris shoved Chad a little.

"Text me before you leave," Chad said. "At least pretend you're not going to forget about me this time."

"That was eight years ago! Someday you're going to have to get over that," Chris muttered as he stomped off.

Chad heaved a deep breath and pressed through the crowd. There was no way he'd be able to get a table with this many people doing their last-minute shopping, but he leaned against a pole near the choir so he could watch and listen. And stalk a little. The choir did another couple of songs before stepping away for a break. They all just sort of wandered away. Chad cupped his hand around his mouth and yelled, "Evans!"

Ryan's head turned, and when he spotted Chad, his eyes lit up. He waved and walked over. Chad met him halfway.

"Chad! Oh man, how long have you been home? Wait, you're local -- you're done with the semester, though, right? How are you? How was college?"

Chad grinned at the rush of words, threw an arm around Ryan the way he'd done almost daily through twelfth grade, and said, "One thing at a time, yeesh."

"Mmm, okay, then start by telling me how I great I was with only a half-hour of rehearsal to prepare," Ryan ordered.

Chad laughed. "Amazing. I totally knew it was you from all the way over," he gestured vaguely in the way Chris had gone, "there. Somewhere."

"No way."

"Way," Chad said.

"Okay, next, how long have you been home -- wait. No. Next, are you doing anything? Because we're done singing, and I'm _so_ not ready to go home yet."

"Just shopping," Chad said. "And basically done with that. And I've been done with classes for three days. Your turn, how long have _you_ been home and not called me to say so?"

"Didn't know I was supposed to," Ryan snitted -- but he didn't duck away from Chad's arm, Chad noted. "I just got in yesterday, and oh _god_. I love my family and all, adore them, you know, but I had to get out. Otherwise, I would never have agreed to sing at a _shopping mall_. Wearing something this bland!"

Chad cracked up, needing to stop walking for a few seconds. "Of course it's the outfit that bothers you."

"So I have standards."

"Oh, I remember. I used to spend hours trying to figure out what kind of color-blind designer even made things up to your standards. So..." He resumed ambling with no real destination in mind, and Ryan walked at his side. "If you love your family so much, what's with the escape?"

"Oh, that. It's just -- you know, I've been on my own for a semester now. Just me and the big city! And I love it. _Adore_ it. And suddenly I'm home and my mother walks into my room without knocking and my sister wants me to match my outfit to hers and my father woke me up at this ungodly hour -- why does 8 AM even exist? Can you believe that's when we used to have to be at school?"

Chad laughed again. Not to mock his pain or anything, but wow, he'd forgotten how much fun Ryan was just to listen to. Finally, he managed, "Are you kidding me? My mom thinks the whole day is a waste if you're still asleep at 7:30. No late mornings for me."

"Ught." Ryan made a face. "That's awful. After a semester, you've earned some sleep!"

Chad nodded. "I get it, though -- your escape, I mean, I'll never, ever get morning people. Things in my house are just a little... uh, tense."

"Yeah?" Ryan asked.

Chad nodded, shoved his hands in his pockets, and said, "Yeah. It's kind of my fault, though. They don't know what to do with me since Thanksgiving."

"Thanksgiving...? Whatever you're hinting at, just out with it."

"Funny you should use that phrase..." Chad stopped walking, grabbed Ryan, and pulled him over to one of the mall's tacky fake stone benches. "So at Thanksgiving I kinda, uh, accidentally came out to my family in the middle of the meal. Loudly and, um, emphatically. Almost gave my grandmother a heart attack, my mom burst into tears, it was... maybe not my best moment."

Ryan stared at him for a long second. His mouth opened but he didn't say anything, just blinked a few times.

"So, yeah," Chad said. "I mean, obviously everyone dealt with it. Even Grams. They're all trying, I guess, just..."

"Wow," Ryan finally managed.

"Yeah. And I hadn't even been hinting or planning to do it, just -- my uncle was ranting about gay marriage and being a jackass, and I got so pissed. Lost my head, next thing I know..."

"Jesus," Ryan said. "At Thanksgiving dinner? Like ripping a bandaid off, I guess, but..." Ryan shifted on the bench, inching just slightly closer to Chad. "So does anyone from East know, or am I the lucky first?"

"Not quite first. Troy knows, which means Gabi knows. And Taylor knew even before Troy. But other than that..."

"Mmm. Shame you didn't tell me last year. Can you imagine the fun we'd have had?" Chad's mind went blank, because he'd spent many a lonely hour imagining _exactly_ what kind of fun they could have had, but Ryan continued, "We could have gone shopping, I'd have introduced you to the wide, wonderful world of musical theater and designer fashion and -- and manicures. Obviously you need one." He grabbed Chad's hand to examine his nails.

Chad didn't yank it away, but he did shift it, to grab Ryan's hand back. "Actually, that wasn't quite what I had in mind. And I _hate_ musicals and shopping and fashion."

Ryan looked down at their hands, then up into Chad's face. "Then what...?"

Chad leaned in, closed the gap between them, and kissed Ryan. It was light and fast and he was sure he was blushing. When he pulled away, Ryan was doing that same stock-still, gaping at him thing. Chad swallowed.

"So there's that," he said, his voice a little scratchy. "But, um, if you want to go now..."

"Go? Like, out to dinner? A movie? To the back of my car to make out for awhile? That kind of go? Because otherwise, no, I'm good right here. Or rather," he scooted the rest of the way across the bench so he was right next to Chad, and squeezed Chad's hand, "right _here_. And that's only because lap-sitting is frowned on in public."

Chad laughed, a mixture of relief and giddiness. With his free hand, he reached for his phone so he could text Chris to never mind, he'd find his own way home later. And damn, but he'd forgotten how easy it was to just relax and laugh with Ryan. Suddenly, even if his family was still being weird, he felt a lot better about this vacation.


End file.
